One of the most time-honored traditions in all of sports, a NHL playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Believed to have been started in the 1980s by the New York Islanders, hockey fans have also taken on the superstition and perfected the "Playoff Beard." So, throw that razor in the garbage cause it's playoff time again. Here's how to grow the Playoff Beard:

1. Shave about 24 hours before the first playoff game. It's important to begin the playoffs with a clean slate. Plus, you want to be able to have the best beard you can have when your team wins.

2. Determine your beard style; do you want to grow the Castaway or the Chewbacca? You don't have to grow out the same beard everyone else has, make it original. Look to your favorite players to get ideas.

3. Let your beard grow out until the first game or series has concluded. Once the first game or series has concluded, groom your beard however you see fit. Or simply let the beard continue to grow the entire time.

4. Treat your playoff beard the same throughout the playoffs or shake things up and change it along the way. Whatever you do, make the beard your own; Document its growth on YouTube, blog about it on Twitter or create a page for it on Facebook.

5. Shave completely once your team has either been eliminated or won the championship. If your team has won it all, feel free to show off the playoff beard for one more victorious day before removing it or, if you don't have a job, keep the beard for longer to annoy your friends who lost.

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